LML Monday - Spell Check, Chai Tea, and Olympic Fever

Welcome to the latest installment of LML Monday! (If you missed my take on LML, you can find it here. If you missed the explanation of LML Monday, you can catch up here.)

Yes, my friends, it's Monday. Time once again to reflect on the little (or big) things that made us happy over the past week and reminded us how much we love our lives. And, of course, now's the time to set the tone for a great week to come!

Spell Check

I come from a long line of self-admitted grammar snobs. Add to that the fact that I have a BS in technical writing, and it's probably easy to understand why I get a little uppity about language now and then. (I honestly do try to be nice about it, but every time someone uses non-words like "alot" or substitutes "your" for "you're" I die a little inside.)

But despite any proficiency that I may demonstrate with other aspects of the language, I have to be the first to admit that I cannot spell worth a darn. Never could. And it's been a source of some embarrassment over the years (particularly when I misspelled the word intelligent. Thought I'd never hear the end of that one.)

So needless to say, spell check is my friend. As a writer, I definitely do not miss the pre-word-processing days of having to look up every single word that I couldn't spell. Sure, some people might miss the pen and paper days, but I'll gladly trade them for the electronic age. Because now, not only do I have spell check, but for the times when that alone doesn't do it, I also have the Merriam-Webster web site just one click away, and the Dictionary.com app on my phone. Believe me when I say that these things have made my life SO much easier.

Chai Tea

This is a simple one, but it's one that never fails to make me happy. The smell alone always brings a smile to my face. And it's versatile - I can have a nice hot cup of tea in the morning, or a glass of iced tea in the afternoon (as I'm doing right now.) Add a little splash of milk and bit of Splenda, and it's a wonderful pick-me-up that always seems to help melt my worries away.

Olympic Fever

Ok, I guess technically I wouldn't call it fever - I'm not obsessive like some people are. But that sounded a bit catchier than "I enjoy watching some of the Olympic games" so I took a little creative license. It's my blog. I can do that. :)

One of my favorite thing about watching the games is that now I can do it with a DVR. In the past we were kind of stuck with whatever we could be home to catch. But I love that now I can just record everything as they show it, and watch whichever events I want. Plus, the hours and hours of cycling are much more entertaining if you watch them in fast-forward.

But the best thing about this year's games it that this is the first time I've been able to watch it with my kids. (During the last games my son was two and my daughter was an infant, so they didn't care even a little bit.) Even now my son hasn't been too interested in anything they've shown so far, but my daughter has been loving it. It's been so much fun watching with her and answering all of the questions she comes up with about each event, and about the country that each athlete is from. We had some great mommy/daughter fun time over the weekend.

Now it's your turn. Please feel free to share some of your recent LML moments. Focus on the happy times, and have a great week!

Speaking of Hot Tea...

If you read my last post, you now know that I have a thing for hot tea. And it's not just when I'm sick (although that is what brought it to mind on this particular occasion.) I do sometimes drink coffee too, but given the choice I usually reach for tea. It's versatile, it's soothing... and it's just plain yummy.

Give me a nice Earl Gray or chai in the morning, or maybe a green tea pick-me-up in the afternoon. Mint makes a nice evening soother, and chamomile is great before bed. (No, I typically wouldn't do all of that in the same day, 'cause, you know, I wouldn't want to do that to my stomach, and I don't need to be that jittery.) The point is that there are lots of choices, and it's easy to find a tea that fits the mood or the circumstances. Those are just a few of my favorites, but there are many other kinds in my cabinet that I use as the urge strikes.

And of course along with my love of tea comes my love of mugs. I have a few favorites... the Minnie Mouse one that my husband and kids gave me for my last birthday, several Winnie the Pooh mugs that I've gotten as gifts over the years, a couple with photos of my kids on them, several Texas mugs that I've picked up on visits back home. Their rotation varies according to my mood, just like the flavors of tea that they hold.

Just a few days ago I came across a very awesome collection of mugs. (Awesome, you know, if you're a geek like me.) I never knew it before, but the Merriam-Webster web site also has a store. And that's where I found these:

I think I might just have to add a couple of these to my collection.

Queen of Something Hot to Drink

It's weird, but except for all of my chronic conditions that I live with, I actually hardly ever get sick. (I know this is a contradiction, because technically having chronic conditions means that I'm always sick.) But you know what I mean - colds and other acute illnesses rarely ever get me down. And being someone who appreciates irony like I do, that just kind of makes me chuckle.

So it's odd that I find myself getting sick again for the second time in just a couple of weeks. This time it's not another gross stomach thing, thank goodness. But it's an almost-equally-gross-but-in-a-different-way sinus thing.  You know, the kind where your head is a couple of sizes too big, and you go through an entire box of tissues in a single day, and all you want to do is crawl under the covers and whine. (I know, I know. We better call the Waaaambulance!)

But of course you can't hide under the covers all day, because there are kids to be taken care of, so you suck it up and go on with life. So, knowing that I had to get rid of this thing quickly, the first thing I did yesterday when I felt it coming on was reach for a mug of hot tea. And for this, I have to thank a couple of people for their influence. My dear mother has taught me so many important lessons over the years, but this is the most relevant right now.

At the first mention of a sore throat, Mom would always remind me to "drink something hot." Granted, this is a less pleasant task when it is a hundred and nine degrees outside than it is, say, on a cold winter morning. But it still does the job, so again I suck it up. (Figuratively and literally this time.)

The other person I have to thank is my sister, another of my favorite people in this world. It was while staying with her for a few months, many years ago, that I came to appreciate the value of a well-stocked tea cabinet. And it was then that I lovingly gave her the title Queen of Something Hot to Drink. She always knows the moment the need for tea arises, and is right there with a steaming mug in hand. (That's just one of her many amazing qualities, but it's the one that comes to mind right now, for obvious reasons.)

So thanks, Mom and Sis, for being such a great influence. As I sit here enjoying my second cup of the day, and joyfully observing how it soothes my throat, I'm thinking of you with love. Of course I'm also thinking about this horrible sinus headache, and hoping it will go away soon. But mostly it's all about you. ;)